Grafted Ultimatum
by x4th
Summary: A .hack//G.U. AltUniverse. I'll try to be in the presence of canon, but not to close. The road is different, but it comes to the same destination. Includes R:1 characters. Will never go dusk or link. This is my redemption of a bad try before. R&R PLZ


This is my fantasy rendition of the events of .hack//G.U. where the events take place in a fantasy world instead of a MMORPG. This will be my third attempt at chapter one: the first, a failure in all accounts; the second, this one in a previous revision; third, well, this one, duh. I have special thanks to Treyvoni Fox who told me just what I needed to write chapter 2 (coming soon).

This chapter covers the first five major scenes of Rebirth, excluding the first login. I'm trying to mold reality, the game's backstory, the Twilight Incident and technical workings into a new world-view. I do love .hack//Roots and Roots characters won't just vanish like they did in the games. Unless the left the game in Roots, where here they simply moved to a different town, they will likely appear. I also like Albireo, so he will appear. Don't worry, everything has a reason/I don't use Giant Space Worms From Another Dimension.

I'm a perfectionist so I'd love to learn how to perfect my work. Please read and review so I don't try to end my pitiful existence!! (joking)_  
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… … … …

_Chapter 1: Black Paladin_

… … … … _  
_

Dry wind blew across the rusty canyon, swirling dust around a kindred spirit before carrying on past the horizon. Ruffled silvery hair, light on the breeze, fluttered across his high, pale face. His cheeks bore red symbols of the wave. All of that remained in semblance of a human. He bore the armor of twisting, living blackness, and was so recognized by the shocking plates. His eyes, o' damned eyes, were bloody crimson and stared laughingly at his enemy far below.

It was his prey: a ring of nine bandits surrounding a small caravan. Two cowered together while another laid in the path. The acting leader of these thugs was a scantly clad tanned woman with short red hair and a devilish smirk, chuckling chuckling down on the cowering two. She approached with a swagger of arrogance as they squirmed away. One of the two, a tall, strong man lead his partner in a mad dash, but the head-bandit's thorny blade whipped him down into the sands. All that remained was the young cleric.

She pleaded for her life— offered all she owned or any thing she could get, but it wasn't any use. The devil carved a thin line across her prey's throat, sneering and laughing as she did so. They let the girl go. It was a common practice. There were laws against killing. So long as they were revived, killers could prevent their own exile or execution. The band leader laughed when her scapegoat tripped in the sand, met in chorus with her men. The far more frightening monster descended down the path above smirked at the fun he would soon have.

… … … …

"What an idiot," the woman chuckled as she pillaged the loot. With the gang's attention on their future shares, the hunter easily stole up behind them. He quietly drew his blades, the Lit Honeysuckle. Taking one up he painfully slipped it into shoulder of a bandit in the rear. The thief's surprise and pain heralded the black knight's entrance. Their leader snapped to see someone picking a fight with her men. Her glare turned to a gleam as she taunted, "Who the hell are you?"

The hunter held stoic as A lesser statured man (whose skin that seemed green against the red rock around him) pointed and quiveringly cried:

"...It's! It's him! It's Haseo, the Terror of Death!"

Haseo confirmed the fear by falling into a short, quick stance with a characteristically prideful smirk.

"...Really, now?" The leader whispered in awe.

Faster than some thought possible, he dashed between the men dispatching two before they knew he was there. His next pair took up the defensive through offense, attacking in unison. The Terror slid through their tries and they were put down without once touching his black armor.

In the time stolen by those two, he found himself surrounded by the five others. He had under-estimated them; they were practiced at fighting a quicker foe. Against these numbers he needed a different strategy. He sheathed his knives in favor of his favorite weapon, the scythe. One swing forced the whole circle back; another lower arc followed by selective strikes dispatched two more men.

Next he took on the leading lady. She parried his demonic claw many times, but her luck was the only safeguard. The Terror brought the shaft down on her raised sword, theatrically. The blade was inches from her face; but a blur of green dashed in and smacked his precious scythe right out of his hands. He rolled away from the dedicated pawn as over-pushed strikes ate dirt. From the ground, Haseo conjured a sphere of wind in his palm. The gales of the spell broke free, sending the whelp screaming into the canyon wall.

The last of her bandits, a giant of a man, came running as a bull with a hammer of stone in his fists. The speedy devil leap out of the way before pulling his own massive weapon: the huge fanged chainsaw, Caterpillar. Mr. Big leaped into a profound smash, but Haseo not only blocked it, but easily toppled his titanic girth.

Now the leader and he were standing alone in the dusty pass. She and he stood silently, in a battle of wills. It was, for her, two options: fight and die or surrender and possibly die, as if death was anything more than a higher pain. In a sense, she won the silent battle, running forth, trying for the first strike by weaving through his swipes. It lasted until his blade and hers met. At that instant, the battle was over. Her weapon shattered and her wrist twisted. She forgot herself for a moment of sharp pain as it broke. Haseo chuckled as she withed momentarily. She gained her head and glared up at him.

"I'm surprised—I didn't think you'd be that strong," she attempted to to minimize her loss of pride, "I guess the rumors of you were true after all. After all, you took on a hundred men—"

His eyes laughed down on her, squatting next to her broken sword.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. Here, let me apologize. So just take it easy calm down and... DIE!!" She leapt at him with a sharp shard of her sword in her good hand.

Haseo wasn't impressed, snatching her hand and holding it in the air so she was on the tips of her feet. He dropped the massive sword and pulled up her chin to look her in the eyes. Her face betrayed her ruddy shame.

Now serious, he asked, "Do you know 'Tri-edge'?"

"Ah! What—? What did you say?"

"He's a demon shrouded in blue fire. Leaves three cuts whenever he kills."

She awkwardly dangled. "Uh-huh?...really, now? Does he seem to only come after drunkards? Oh come on, don't tell me that you actually believe that crap, or....or is that just an excuse...?" She slyly smiled.

He sighed. She had no information. What a disappointment. He threw her away from him like a piece of trash into the canyon wall. He picked up his weapons and put them in their place.

The last bandit landed in a heap, her pride shattered. Defeated, she risked, "So, you think you can go up against me, the great Bordeaux and just walk away like nothing happened!?"

The Terror of Death angrily swaggered from the battleground.

"Yeah, I think I can."

… … … …

Haseo retired into the golden Chaos Gate within the central fortress of the Aqua Capital, Mac Anu. The dome was made to protect those fleeing, should the veil of the spirits ever break. The inner sanctum went silent as he appeared. People both average and even the peace keeping cobalt knights stood uneasy in his shadow. Most knew he had just proved his name by his reputation alone. As with any other day, he strutted casually out the dome and across the lengthly bridge to the town proper. It deposited him in the central district, where no one was speechless as he approached. Haggling and bickering ran from all the small shops pushing for space in the busy roads. The city never slept, as it was perpetually evening. The smog-red sun never moved from it's position just above the western horizon, and why shouldn't it?

It was walking down a particularly slight street that led to his simple apartment, that Haseo was interrupted.

"So, it's you." said the man as he passed by, "You, the one who stinks of death," Haseo paused, ready to leave if this wasn't worth his time, "the 'Terror of Death', you're that hunter, Haseo." The hunter was getting annoyed, this man's bombastic tone bugged him. "People who do as they will to other people are disgraceful, and I agree, it's terrible how bandits and murderers can just strut around the World these days, but is it right that you're kind has chosen to use brute force to stop them?"

"I don't have time for this; not now." Haseo continued on his way. Preaching wasn't worth his time, just the same logic that Bordeaux tried to use earlier. They weren't the same.

"You have no authority and it earns you nothing, so why?" Haseo was pissed. Where did this guy get off questioning him... "I am the leader of Moon Tree's Unit Two, my friends call me Sakaki, and I'm afraid I cannot overlook your actions—"

"Did you say Moon Tree?" Haseo turned and broke into a cold, sarcastic smile, "Is that some guild?" he chuckled , "Sorry, 'Sake', but I already have enough friends." He walked away and Sakaki didn't stop him.

Someone unexpected did. She sprinted to keep up with Haseo's long stride. "Do you always interrupt people like that!? You know, Sakaki wasn't finished talking to you yet!"

Haseo turned his oft used glare on her, "Look, I don't care. You and your ideals ca—hah!" This girl, she looked just like... "Shino..?" he whispered. The girl froze with eyes wide and her mouth mid-reprimand. When he said the name so...sadly, as if, contrary to his scathing attitude, he really did care about people...

"Atoli," approached Sakaki, "Do you know this man?"

"Uh—um, no....not yet!"

"Atoli?" tried Haseo.

"She must look like someone you know," Sakaki addressed, regaining control of the conversation "Just a case of mistaken identity."

Haseo tore his eyes from the ghost and into Sakaki's smug, green eyes. "Hey, you, why don't you just—"

But as if the gods were laughing at him, another familiar face took his attention. The shine off of his goldenrod glasses attracted Haseo's eye, but his encased left arm gave no doubt to the Terror's mind. conversing with a thin dark man beyond the end of the tiny crowded street, his old mentor, Ovan stood in the flesh. Haseo gaped dumbstruck for a moment.

"...You!" Haseo took off, pushing through Sakaki and Atoli in pursuit of him, knocking people down in his race. He launched out of the ally like a bat out of hell, but by then, Ovan had vanished into the crowds, "Shit, every time—!" He ripped through the crowd in his frenzy. A path hurriedly cleared for him.

"You, Haseo!" called someone from the crowd.

"Geez! I don't have time for chit-chat! Today of all days..." He hurried off in the opposite direction.

His own pursuer sighed, "Damnit, Ovan. You knew how difficult this would be, didn't you?" He too gave chase.

… … … …

For a man with such a leisurely pace, Ovan sure could disappear. After an hour's tear of the streets, he had found four men with blue hair, one with a trench coat, two with sacks over their shoulders and one man that seemed to be dressed entirely in gold (that was accidental as he was blinded in the setting sun, god forbid they ever meet in battle). In the slump of defeat, Haseo resigned him self to rest in a shady part of town.

Murmurings became rants, "...He's always like this. Why show his face and then run off! Where is he?! No one knows!"

"I know," replied a passerby, out of breath, "He has sent me to find you."

"And who the hell are you?"

"I'm called Bith the Black" he gasped, "Ovan insists that I bring you to see him. Will you come?"

"How do I know your the real deal?" The man looked quite average, maybe a bit more so after chasing a bat right out of hell. The only armor he bore was iron scale-mail. He had olive skin and mahogany hair and Haseo realized he was who he had seen talking to Ovan before and the voice was one he had heard as well.

Bith silently regained his composure.

"sigh....Alright, tell me. Where is he?"

"I need to bring you."

"Why?"

"I need my reward."

"Reward?" What was Ovan playing? And Bith? If this Bith was lieing... well, if he was lieing, Haseo would just punish him. No loss there.

"I'll go, but let me have some time to prepare."

"Meet me on the bridge to the dome. Keep in mind, he is waiting for you." They parted.

Haseo came to the door of his apartment and immediately turned back on his path. With Ovan, Haseo couldn't even guess where the meeting may lead. He could handle it he arrogantly conceived.

… … … …

Haseo and Bith met where adventures, anecdotes and perils all seem to cross: the greatest of the bridges of the Son of a Goddess. He came upon Bith leaning against the side staring out into the mighty river. Beside him rested an impressive halberd. He noticed Haseo before he arrived.

"Are you ready?"

"Depends...What's the stick for?"

Bith twitched disapprovingly, "With him," referring to Ovan, "I don't even know."

Haseo sympathized. It was only then he noticed something odd about Bith's eyes. One was sky blue and the other amber. Bith cut off his fascination by turning for the way to the dome. For a brief length, they were silent, but before the door, they stopped. "Do you know what he's been doing for the last six months?" Bith hopefully questioned.

"I wish," bitterness was quite apparent, "He abandoned us at the Twilight Brigade, left us after so many promises, and then..."

...and then...

"...then?"

"Nothing. He just left. Let's go."

The Chaos gate turned and spun, a fusion of magic and machine: gold rings rotated around several cyan sprites, entrapping them in a ever-changing cage. Haseo stood by as Bith set the coordinates. Coordinates were three words preceded by the region coordinate. This protected the town, as there were no gates or roads in or out.

Bith had his coordinates set: Δ Hidden, Forbidden, Holy Ground. A place where Haseo reluctantly remembered as "...The Hulle Granz Cathedral."

"That which hides Heaven," Bith nodded, "It wasn't always called that. Before the first crisis, it was known as, simply, the Navel of Alba's Lake. It was the last sanctuary of man before the Chaos Gates."

"You remind me of him."

"hmm?"

"Ovan."

"I'm not sure how to take that."

"I hardly remember, now. Let's go."

… … … …

In Alba's Lake sat what used to be an island. During the secant crisis, the lake had drained, spilling over the temples of Arche Koelin. Now it was a rocky pillar amid a lake of vapor, within which was some tributary feeding the tragically famous falls through the abandoned college. That mount was crowned by the beautiful church. If tradition could be trusted, it's entry welcomed the east, the morning sun and the Dragon of Twilight. As it was, the evening light pored through the exquisite glass behind the alter.

Pulsing red, the signet of Tri-Edge mocked the heavenly light; refusing a reflection on the ever-glossy floors; laughed it's denial out of tempo of the four swinging pendulums. It's existence was a sneer of perfection, even leaning scalene, out of the church's golden symmetry, making it as if staring started the world to spin.

Displacing it's aims was Ovan. Instead of sneering, he patiently smiled; his signature blue contrasted the ugly red. Even his posture corrected the cursed mark, straitening the room. Unfortunately, he was the phantom, rarely present.

"...Ovan!"

The man in blue turned. His left arm, encased in a matching cylinder, locked, sealed away, majestically lead. For a moment, his glasses became discs of golden light, almost as if they recognized Haseo and Bith.

"It's been a while, Haseo." His voice, though soft and deep, commanded the whole hall. He was the preacher and this was his church. "Or should I say, the Terror of Death? You've grown quite strong; much stronger then when we last parted."

"Well I was forced to become stronger, thanks to you." Haseo accused. Ovan gave a simple, paternal smile. "A while'? It's been six months! Where have you been all this time, Ovan?"

"Albireo,—"

"—Who?"

"Me," put away the false Bith, who, frankly, looked unhealthy in that light.

"Albireo, my advice to you is to seek the creature that cursed you. She is still residing in this world. The only place you find her is in Lumina Cloft."

"Hah....The cat..."

"Goodbye."

"Tsk--" Albireo left them. He left the heavy door open and a little too quickly vanished at the platform.

After a small silence, Ovan approached his former ward. Haseo didn't want comfort. The despair of six months mourning was pushing against his eyes.

"When you left, the Twilight Brigade disbanded. Everyone left, and Shino—!"

"—Was killed by Tri-Edge."

Haseo shuddered. It was here. It was in this very room. Shino was lain their, before the alter, like a lamb. The devil's mark, fresh. The slight silhouette of her killer in flickering blue flames as they consumed him and died out. Haseo held her as she faded; her body and soul being unraveled and dispersed in a way no magic could cure.

_'Don't cry, Haseo. Boy's don't cry,'_ she had whispered. Her last whisper was, _'Help, Ovan.'_

But Ovan wasn't their to help. Ovan was off doing gods-know-what for gods-know-what reasons. More and more marks appeared and Ovan never came to help. He was never...

"Why weren't you there!?"

Ovan smiled sadly, tilting his head in thought, gathering himself. He then announced with conviction, "Only Tri-Edge can bring her back."

The news left Haseo's ears ringing. "...bring her....back?"

"Yes, and if my reasoning is to be trusted, he will return, today, to this tragedy."

"Tri-Edge.... is coming here!" He walked to the sign, waiting, expecting... In his flaunt of death and hatred, he had cried for her. He cried to those last words and resolved to avenge her bastard death. Not once had he a hope for her life. And the patron would soon return.

Ovan stood beside him and rested his hand on Haseo's shoulder. "Only we can bring her back. I can only trust this with you," he gave, before turning and leaving Haseo before the alter. "Only us..."the Terror chanted as if a mantra to the gods of this lonesome abode. Slowly, as definite and final as Haseo's conviction, the solid door swung shut on another tragedy.

… … … …

Haseo stood eagerly at the alter. Despite his readiness, the pendulums counted of their own times, slowly ticking out eternal seconds. His clawed hand gripped the alter rail. How familiar this wood was to him, he had stood here as Shino told him a story of a goddess who was locked away, and one day broke her chains. Despite the pain and fear she had long experienced, she had still stayed in her prison until quite recently.

Haseo, carefree, played along, _'I wonder why she finally left'?_

'_Maybe she lost hope for this world...' _she approached the alter and smiled her smile on him—

"—What?..A chime?" He wonder if there were church bells high over head, but he had never heard them sound. The room was empty and besides, the door remained shut. A whisper of a sound still echoed. There was a draft maybe even birds roosting above. He closed his eyes and steadied his nerves. A new sound....behind him! Haseo spun and found the hard stone alter rippling like a pond that just took a stone. The mark alone didn't move, distorting the reality around it. From the center, a drop of light emerged. It drifted forward as the alter steadied, pulsing almost like a heart's beat. Suddenly, it erupted, spewing waves of wavering azure tongues and knocking the dumbfounded warrior across the floor.

He knelt, bracing himself on a pew. What remained before the sign was a figure, much like six months ago, standing amongst azure flames.

"Fire....Blue fire...?" The silhouette raised an arm and with it cast away it's veil. The enigma was pale, skinny, sickly— and still sent shivers down the Terror's spine. Clad all in red-orange, complete with it's round hat. Dirty greenish hair covered most of his face, but reveled one red ringed eye that surveyed the church like a trained dog.

Haseo didn't breath as the eye passed over him as if he was scenery, only to settle on the large doors. It slinked by Haseo drawing two twisted, trice-tipped, trident-like blades in each hand.

"...Three..?"

The figure still silently stalked on.

"Are you....Tri-Edge?"

It remained ignorant of him.

Haseo shuddered with disgust. He drew his Lit Honeysuckle. "Hey, you!"

It closed in on the exit.

"ANSWER ME, DAMNIT!!" he cried as he leapt blade-first into the source of an age of frustrations. His golden blade arced towards it's neck in precise practice and fury, and in unheard of speed, a sea green eye faced him. Haseo's knife came to an absolute halt, jarring muscles from hand to toe, as if he had tried to slice a statue of steel. The thing's body had turned completely around in an instant and stopped the World's Terror without even bracing in a stance.

"It—it's impossible..."

He pulled out of his gasp. How could he not have expected this. Ovan often talked about sacrifice. Without sacrifice, nothing of value is ever gained. He pulled his blades back, took a breath and sent his holy fury, attacking from every angle and every fashion, a symphony in staccato, but he couldn't pierce that defense. He discovered, after the fact, that one of his precious blades had cracked into golden shards. He fell back, looking at the broken gift, a horror amongst horrors.

A reason. "...This guy killed Shino!" He dropped the remains and pulled the fanged saw leaping high where he brought the tool down on Tri-Edge's wall. The chain stuck and the motor spewed smoke and fire, but Haseo pushed it with all his might. What he hadn't accounted for was the second blade whipping around his drive, and, though not attacking Haseo, stabbing into the frame of the huge saw and flinging it away.

In his berserker's rage, Haseo leapt with his clawed hands,tearing the air, but completely missing their mark. He rolled forward, back on his feet and turned about. What he found was a gloved hand that promptly released a torrent of azure fire. His head banged heavily against the doors of the church. His ears rang and room span. After a bout of confusion, he found his living armor had abandoned him, slithering away, deep in to the cathedral. He got back up slowly and found his opponent standing patiently before him.

"...I don't....need it." He pulled out his scythe, "Urn....This is all I need, you bastard!" He charged again and his fear-inspiring weapon met the twisted, forked shield. In a flick of his wrist, the visage snapped blade from pole. Haseo collapsed on his knees before his foe.

"...Damnit!...I....ugh....I'm not done..."

His foe was. The thin youth put away his blades and raised his arm again. A sort of bracelet of light formed there, spreading down his arm and then out, like an umbrella. It produced a whizzing sound as it spun about his gloved wrist. He aimed the spectacular, shimmering cannon down on Haseo's crumpled form. The shot: ribbons of light that pierced his body in a hundred-million points and vanished there. He gasped more of surprise, as it was initially painless....but his heart beat faster and faster; his sweat poured out; his eyes watered. The twilight sun burned them. His heart slammed in his head and his chest. The stomach convulsed. Every end of him tingled and then burned, and he faintly noted that he was indeed screaming. The most intense pain, was the wraith of failure. His eyes blurred with tears. The visage of his punisher slithered away, causing that horrid despair to take him under. Hell became his reality for the pendulums eternal seconds.

His arms and legs fell limp and his chest was crushed. He felt nothing. Numbly, he watch the much despised form leave him there. He laid on the gleaming floor. The few seconds before he blacked out, a whimper escaped his dry lips.

"...Ovan...?"


End file.
